Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-27
TEXAS.
Rhetorical Sketch of the State By Judge W
l.. Husbands
Texas Advertiser,

Historical Sketch of the State By } udge W
L. Husbands.
Texas Advertiser.
The first European emigraats to Texas
we're led hither By Robert Cavalier, tie
Sleur de ls Sale, who landed at Msta-
gorda bay on February is, 1856. La
Sale was brave and gallant knight of
Louis NV, who had also prior to his
advent into Texas the honor of discover
ing the mouth of the Mississippi, which
he did on April Z, 1852, and on the second
day thereafter celebrated the discovery
with great ceremony, taking possession
in the name of Louis XIV. by proclama-
ton and process verbal of all the territory
watered by the Mississippi from it's mouth
to its source, and by the streams flowing
into it on both sides. It is remarkable
that the Mouth OF this great river was not
discovered for nearly 200 years after the
discovery of America. De Soto coming
from Florida had in 1913 discovered the
river, and in descending same in
search Of its mouth was buried in its
waters. Prior to La Salle's discovery it
had been supposed that the Mississippi
emptied into the Vermillion sea, the
name then given to the Gulf of California.
La Sale, upon his return to France, re-
ported his splendid discovery, which
caused great excitement, both at court
and among the learned. He then pro-
posed to proceed to the mouth of the
Mississippi by sea and there to found g
colony, which being granted by his grs-
cious sovereign, q commission was issued
to him, giving him authority to establish
colonies in Louisiana, Owing to mis-
calculation in latitude La Sale, on his
returning voyage with his colonists,
passed the mouth OF the Mississippi and
finally landed at Matagorda bay. From
that point he and some of his colonlsts
made their way up the river Layscca, and
and in July, 1886, he founded colony
upon the banks of that stream,
and there erected g fort which
he named ST. Louis. At the
time of the landing of the French colony
and for many years afterward the terri
tory now known as Texas was peopled
only by Indians, and but sparsely by
them. The nearest Spanish settlement
was at PanucO, near Tampico, distance
of more than 200 leagues south OF the
LavsCca river. The Spanish colony in
Florida, though established some time
before, was in lsngujshi-g condition.
The city of Philadelphia had been founded
but three years before by Penn. The
colonies of New England, numbering
then about 100000 inhabitants, were
struggling with Crest Britain for their
charters and with the Indians for their
lands. New York, with q population of
some 1000, had just changed owners, and
witnessed the assembling for the first time
oil
under the despotic acts of Charles Il,
had Just closed with defeat the rebellion
Of Nathaniel Bacon.
The Spsniards claim 70 have settled
COahuila as eerly as the year 1000, but
this claim is unfounded in fact. Cnihua-
hua was not settled till 1891. New Mexico
had been settled earlier, probably some
time in the latter psrt of the fifteenth CEN
fury, by certain Mexican monks and friars,
who settled near the site OF the present
city Of Santa Fe.
From the foregoing sketch it will be
seen thSt La Sales neighbors were few
and distant, his nearest and most numer-
Gus neighbors being the Comanches, then
as now, tribe OF roaming savages whose
chief glory it was to murder, and steal,
and as to whom no doubt La Sale thought
W.
There were various other tribes of Indians
then scattered over this vast country.
They knew or cared but little except to |
hunt the wild buffalo Over,the broad plains
Of this then unknown domain, snd thus
to enjoy their unrestrained liberty
and 10 live in the simplicity OF unedu-
Gated nature. Such two centuries ago
were the original inhabitants of Texas. /.
AZ this mn yryi4h
boundary and without g name.
Texas was then TO La Sale, and efter- /
ward to his nation, part Of Louisiana.
By all the rules of international law the .
country was French by right OF dis
covery.
To Spain it was utterly unknown.
Neither Ponce de Leon, De Soto, nor other
Of the Spanish voyagers had
virtue of bull issued by
Pope Alexander VI. in 1901, which pre-
Tended TO settle the dispute between the
Kings Of Portugal and CASTLE concerning
heir claims in America, ana by which
5heir Conquests were divided by line
'uUning from pole to poe $40 miles west
If the Azores, confirming to Spain the
:ountry west of that meridian; and also
- lCdoOu VI VIC NOJbSSS VI DG OOLO anu
others in 1926 claimed the country and is
Iued q ROYAL order prohibiting all for
.igners from entering the Gulf
II Mexico under pain of death
Iere, then, in the settlement
" La Sale, under the orders OF his
sovereign and the monstrous pTeteu-
ions OF SPAN is laid the foundation of a
which being transferred
rom one party to another is finally and
orever settled by the treaty of Guadalupe
Iidalgo made between the United States
md Mexico on the 2nd of February, 184S
The unjust order Of Phillip was carried
nto execution, and all the colonists who
accompanied La Sale were made prison
RS end cast into the mines.
phillip, King of Spain, having
of these proceedings
ssued his orders for the pacifcation and
Of Texas, and in 1851 Don Do
ningo was appointed governor of Goa
luila and Texas, and took possession of ,
he fort ct st. Louis on the Lavacca.
They remained there, however, but
hort time, soon abandoning the country ,
md returning to their homes. Texas ;
vas once mere without European set :,
lers. Thus matters remained for some :
line, no active opposition being mani
ested to Spain's pretensions of ownership :
# Texas, though the country was not
hen known by that name. The name, :
4 fact, is involved in obscurity. One ,
tory Of its origin is that on the visit Of :
ONE of the earlier colonists to the Cents :
ndisns in 1859 they were received with ;
rert kindness, and By the Indians called :
:. IT, ; - s.1, A..